‘Makananelo Manamolela
THE Ministry of Gender, Youth and Social Development has warned that ‘Malibuseng Children’s Home in Maseru East is operating illegally. It says the facility has repeatedly failed to comply with national child protection standards despite years of engagement by government officials.
The Director of Child Protection Services in the ministry, Mookho Motheo Lekhanya, said their officials had visited the home on numerous occasions to guide its operators on the legal requirements for running a residential child-care facility, but those efforts had yielded little progress.
“The home failed to comply. On several occasions we have also removed children who had been placed at the facility because they had been admitted without following the procedures set out in the Children’s Protection and Welfare (Amendment) Bill, which has already passed its third reading in the Senate,” Ms Lekhanya said.
She said the proposed legislation, once enacted, would criminalise the operation of child-care facilities that fail to meet legal requirements and would introduce sanctions against those operating outside the law.
Ms Lekhanya’s remarks come as the home temporarily relocates its residents to Khubetsoana while its ageing premises undergo renovations.
The ministry’s Communications Officer, Mpho Makhetha, added that authorities first intervened in November 2025 after discovering that the centre was operating without legal registration.
She said security agencies, working with the ministry, removed all children living at the facility. Some were reunited with their biological families while others were placed in legally registered orphanages that meet the government standards.
Following the operation, only adults remained at the premises, whom the ministry identified as relatives of the founder or people associated with the home.
“The ministry has a responsibility to intervene whenever children are involved because protecting children from any form of danger is our mandate,” Ms Makhetha said.
She expressed concern that members of the public continue to leave children at the facility believing it was a recognised orphanage.
“What we have realised is that some people abandon children there under the impression that they are placing them in an orphanage. This places those children at risk because the facility is not legally recognised to provide institutional care,” she said.
Ms Makhetha stressed that all orphanages operating in Lesotho ought to be gazetted and comply with standards and regulations established by the Department of Social Development to safeguard the welfare, safety and rights of children in residential care.
She urged the public to place vulnerable children only in legally recognised child-care facilities and to report any concerns relating to children’s welfare to the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, the ‘Malibuseng founder’s daughter, Clara Ratšolo, who currently co-operates the facility with her sibling, said the home’s current occupants were being temporarily moved to Khubetsoana to pave the way for renovation work.
Speaking to this publication during Saturday’s relocation exercise, Ms Ratšolo said the facility currently houses 28 people, including children and adults aged between two and 27 years.
She said the home was established around 2008, but the building has deteriorated significantly over the years.
“The ceilings are damaged and the roof leaks badly whenever it rains. The building is no longer in a condition that is safe and comfortable for those living here, which is why it is under renovation with the help of a donor whom I cannot reveal,” she said.
Ms Ratšolo said the home has also been battling severe financial difficulties as donations have declined sharply.
She said many companies and organisations pledge support but often fail to fulfil their promises, making it increasingly difficult to provide for the residents’ daily needs.
Rejecting allegations that donations had dried up because donated goods were being sold, Ms Ratšolo dismissed the claims as false.
“I sometimes end up buying everything myself, and it is not easy. Even our neighbours come here asking for food because they know this is a home that welcomes everyone. It is difficult to turn them away when they are hungry and asking for help,” she said.
